The present invention relates to a system for compacting or squeezing materials with a water actuated cylinder and especially to such a system having a control valve which allows the use of a single line for driving and returning the piston in the water cylinder.
In the past, it has been common to use hydraulic cylinders which drive a piston by the use of hydraulic fluids driven by pumps, or in some cases, driven by air pressure in an air over hydraulic system. Hydraulic fluids are used rather than gasses, such as air, because the fluids are not generally compressible and because of the mechanical advantage gained by the size of the cylinder and piston used. Thus, the pressure per square inch on a fluid remains the same against a piston so that a larger piston area substantially increases the driving force by the number of square inches times the pounds per square inch pressure applied to the piston. A larger sized area reduces the speed with which the piston is driven but the mechanical advantage allows a hydraulic piston to lift large masses with a relatively small hydraulic pump driven system. It has also been suggested to utilize water in a fluid cylinder system in which the water pressure in a household waterline is utilized to lift objects inasmuch as water, being a fluid, can have the same mechanical advantage as a hydraulic cylinder and can capitalize on the pressure in a standard community water supply system.
The present invention utilizes a standard community water supply in driving a cylinder and capitalizes on the mechanical advantages of the cylinder by using a sufficiently large cylinder to compact or squeeze objects. The present water cylinder can also be utilized with a small pump, if desired, and can be used for systems other than for compacting or squeezing materials. The water cylinder, advantagesouly, is driven with a valving system which requires only one water line connection to the cylinder for driving and returning the piston without the use of piston return springs or return water lines.